Jan 30, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; East running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt of Arizona (31) is presented with the offensive MVP trophy after the East defeats the West in the East-West Shrine Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Commanders' rookie says slide to 7th Round was ‘meant to be’

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Joanne Coley | Last updated May 21, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Jacory Croskey-Merritt is excited about his future with the Washington Commanders and is still trying to understand how he got here.

The former University of Arizona running back was selected as the 245 overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. During a recent appearance on the Come On Na’ Podcast, he opened up about how the call from the Commanders changed his life.

“It’s still… I’m still trying to process,” Croskey-Merritt said when asked how it felt to finally get drafted by the Commanders. “I feel like once I get there, it’ll probably hit me.”

Croskey-Merritt pointed out the weight and emotion that comes while you're waiting to hear your name called.

“Getting drafted is just something different. It’s hard to explain,” he said. “It’s a blessing, either way. But getting drafted—it’s like, hold on.”

On draft day, Croskey-Merritt sat at home with friends and family, anticipating a call. As suggested by draft projections, he was hoping to go as a fifth-round pick, but as each round passed with no call, he admitted his mind was racing.

“A couple people had a high fifth-round grade on me,” he said. “So in the fifth round, I’m thinking, ‘Okay, maybe this is it.’ These are experts that have been doing this for a long time.”

But as each round passed, doubt started to creep in, and he started to think about the past year, whether missing the 2024 season hindered his chances, and how stacked the 2025 running back class was this year.

“This was the best running back class in a whole bunch of years,” he explained. “So I’m thinking, it’s a lot of good guys out there… But I’m still going strong, you feel me?”

Ultimately, Croskey-Merritt got the call and knew he was meant to be in Washington.

“I feel like it ended up happening the way God wanted it to,” he said. “He wanted me to wait until the seventh round. He wanted me to go to the Washington Commanders. And that’s the perfect team. I don’t got no regrets or second thoughts. When they called, I definitely was happy. I’m ready to get down there.”